Biological sensors are very useful for monitoring and understanding biological mechanisms, both within individual cells and in more general biological environments such as the human body: For example, intra-cellular sensors offer a powerful tool for understanding the mechanisms within a cell. Such sensors can detect the presence or concentration of an analyte within the cell, and when multiple sensors are distributed within the interior of the cell, the presence of analytes in relation to different cellular organelles and the cell membrane can be better understood.
An important consideration for sensors deployed for biological applications is compatibility with the physiological environment. Sensors in the physiological environment are extremely susceptible to nonspecific adsorption of biological materials such as proteins. This nonspecific adsorption may degrade sensor performance as well as cause inflammation and thrombosis. Therefore, methods or compositions that reduce nonspecific adsorption to biological sensors would be highly desirable.